New year gets under way at SSUSD

Wednesday

Aug 13, 2014 at 12:01 AM

By Adam RobertsonSTAFF WRITERarobertson@ridgecrestca.com

Tuesday morning, hundreds of children and teenagers re-entered the classroom as summer break ended and the 2014-15 school year for Sierra Sands Unified School District got under way.The day seemed to go universally well. Most of the schools reported their days went smoothly with the teachers and staff able to do everything they needed without any major problems.Things were also very busy for the school office staffs as they worked to make sure the students were where they needed to be and the school day's schedule had no problems.At James Monroe Middle School, a new principal and assistant principal joined the staff. Dr. Bonny Porter took up the mantle of principal at the middle school – while an education veteran, she is fairly new to the Ridgecrest area. The assistant principal is Michael Sernett, who has several years of experience in the area. So far, Porter has been happy with their working relationship and how they compliment each other's abilities.“I think we make a really great team,” Porter said.She recalled the students were given their materials and introduced to their classes. While there were some small events for welcoming everyone to the classes, the teachers leapt right into their course work and began teaching for the year.This year, the middle school staff has been working to outline goals for the school year. According to Porter, they want to bring in a few changes in the safety procedures for students as well as their rules for discipline. They have also been setting goals for the curriculum this year — this included the teachers going to Sacramento to do training courses in using an AVID curriculum. While not a change to the school's teaching abilities, the teachers will get to enjoy a new teacher's lounge.Pierce Elementary School's day began earlier than other schools. They held a special orientation for the younger students and the remaining grades began their days at the regular time of 7:30. The school's office staff reported everything was going smoothly with everyone, teacher and student alike, excited about the year to come.Rand Elementary School's first day also went well. According to Donnie Meech, things were a little hectic because they did not have a full office staff. Even with how crazy things were, Meech felt everything took off with minimal complications after all the work put into preparations.“The support is so good,” Meech said. “Everyone worked so hard, so everything worked well.”The school also recently received some new technology — Meech noted he was getting to use a smart board in his classroom now, among other tech upgrades. They will also be implementing a new math program this year, for their first- through third-graders.Sue Marvin, principal of Las Flores Elementary School, said their first day was wonderful with everything going smoothly. She noted there was lots of excitement among the students as well as the faculty and all the kids came in with big smiles on their faces.“We were very impressed with all of our students going in and getting right to work,” Marvin said.The Las Flores classes started the day with a tour of the campus and an explanation of the rules of the school. Afterward, the students jumped right into the curriculum and began the lessons they would learn through the rest of the year.A similar opening reaction was seen at Richmond Elementary School. Principal Maureen Glennon said the kids were thrilled to be back in school. As the faculty and staff got everything set up, things fell right on track to run smoothly.Only one small hitch came up near the end of the day as a degree of logistical maneuvering was needed to work out getting everyone home. According to Glennon, because the school is located on the Naval Air Weapons Station, China Lake, there are specific rules to follow on getting students on the base – especially with the front gate being under construction.This, mixed with the normal first-day-of-school logistic challenges — such as coordinating the schedule of rides and students enrolling or leaving at the last minute — led to some small road blocks to be overcome. Everything was worked out, though, and there were no known problems rising from any of the challenges.“Getting kids to and from school at the beginning of the year is always a challenge,” Glennon said. “We always get everyone home safe, though.”